2.2-litre D-4d 2ad-ftv 110 Kw Severe Oil Usage

[chopper99]

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can help me diagnose a couple of issues with my 2005 Avensis D4D 148bhp that's done just over 74,000 miles.

I bought it back in March when it had done 68,000 miles and it was running beautifully when I bought it.

Just under 3 months later the oil light came on and when I checked it she was almost empty and I noticed some patches on my drive that suggested a leak. I took it back to where I bought it from as it was in the last week of a 3 month warrenty and they said a clip was loose on the intercooler pipes causing the leak and they'd fixed it. Not long after this I started to notice a noise coming from the engine while accelerating, like a belt noise or really quick tappet sound, if that makes sense. Since then this seems to have been getting worse until the car suddenly started loosing power massively at lower revs and throwing out a lot of black smoke.

At this point I cleaned the EGR partially (I had no carb cleaner and no small brush to get in properly, I have these now so plan to do this again) and it was very blocked. I also put a can of BG244 Diesel fuel system cleaner into a full tank and these two things seemed to get performance and fuel consumption back to previous levels. The engine noise also seemed to decrease a bit.

However, 3 weeks after the oil leak was fixed the oil light came back on and upon checking it was again almost empty. So I put almost a full bottle of oil in and hoped that when fixing the leak the garage had simply only topped up a little bit. However, another 3 weeks later and the light has again come back on today and over that time the engine noise has again gotten worse and the car has always seemed more smokey than it should be. My brother-in-law followed me home the other day and commented that it seemed very smokey whenever I was accelerating and that he could smell something that smelled a little like chip pan oil.

So I have a couple of issues that may or may not be connected:

1 - The engine noise at certain revs. This seems to go away once I get up above 2500 rpm.

2 - The fact it seems to be losing oil at an alarming rate.

3 - The smoke coming from the exhaust.

I really like this car but I'm now starting to really worry that it has some major engine issue. Any help or advice much appreciated.

[dervdave]

Very bad news my friend, I`m sorry to have to tell you that it sounds as though your motor has a terminal problem which affected many 2.2ds in all models.

Do a quick search

[theoilburner]

The good news is that the seller is liable for any faults that appear in the first six months, regardless of the length of supplied warranty. See the Sale of Goods Act. Under that, faults that are uncovered in this period are assumed to have been there when the car was sold to you. You don't even have to prove it. If they refuse to fix it for free then you should take them to the small claims court.

[Heidfirst]

what's a full bottle? Iirc Toyota say that 1l usage per 1000miles is acceptable.

However, high oil usage does often presage problems with the head/head gasket see e.g. http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/132178-charliefarlies-guide-to-the-toyota-2ad-diesel-engine-and-its-issues/

[chopper99]

Thanks for the replies, this is what I was worried about :(

A full bottle was 2 litres. I've put another litre in this morning and I'm going to see how many miles I get out of that. Really appreciate the info about the Sale of Goods act. If it does end up looking like head gasket failure I'll try and take it back to Evans Halshaw where I now regret paying £3000 for it :(

[theoilburner]

Good luck my friend. Here's a link which explains it fully, although it's a bit dry to read:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/cars-and-other-vehicles/problems-with-the-car-you-bought/the-car-you-bought-is-faulty/

Key points (my emphasis in italics):

"If you want a refund then you will have to prove the car is not of satisfactory quality. If you are asking for a repair or replacement, or a refund because the trader cannot offer a repair or replacement within the first six months, then the responsibility is on the trader to prove the car is of satisfactory quality"

and

"The responsibility is normally on you rather than the dealer to prove that a car is faulty in some way. However, the responsibility is on the dealer to prove that the car was of satisfactory quality when you bought it, if you discover the fault within the first six months and you are asking for:

• a repair or
• a replacement or
• a full or partial refund where a repair or replacement isn't possible, would cause significant inconvenience to you as the buyer or would cost a disproportionate amount to the dealer.

Where the dealer is responsible for proving the car is of a satisfactory quality, they have to prove the fault wasn’t present using evidence such as an independent report into the car’s condition."

I'm sure they'll try to wriggle out of it at first, but a simple PDI and maybe a service by the dealer most certainly doesn't count as an independent report. Bear that in mind when/if the excuses start to come...

[chopper99]

Fantastic information, thanks very much. Going to take it back to where I bought it and see what they make of it.

[AlysAvensis]

I personally think you don't have a leg to stand on, as oilburner said you could take it to small claims court but the fee's involved would outweigh the end result.

[chopper99]

Hmm, I did buy it on an credit card (interest free) so would I be covered on that if I can convince them it's not fit for purpose?

I also purchased a warranty separately and it includes this line in what is covered - "cylinder head (not cracks and de-coking or porous heads)".

Basically I really can't afford to just have this car give up on me 5 months after purchasing it. I get married in 3 weeks time and only bought this as my old Picasso gave up after the fuel pump went and potentially sent metal filings into the injectors. I decided to get this to hopefully buy something that would last me a while :(

[cmia]

I personally think you don't have a leg to stand on, as oilburner said you could take it to small claims court but the fee's involved would outweigh the end result.

Reject the car..

Tell them its using far much engine oil.

Take them to small claims.. I have done it before and WON.

[avensis rob]

sound as if its breathing heavy

what happens when its ran without oil filler cap fitted

is it a terrible mess? that blows oil spatter